Police use dog's microchip to return wandering toddler home safely

WENTZVILLE, Mo. (KMOV.com) – A 2-year-old girl who wandered away from her Wentzville, Missouri home was returned back to her family with the help of their dog.

The little girl woke up from her nap without her parents knowing and walked outside. She ended up blocks from her home. But luckily, the family cockapoo was by her side.

At the bus stop on the Tuesday afternoon, Sarah Woodard and her daughter encountered an unusual sight in their neighborhood.

“We saw a police officer holding a little girl and a utility worker holding a dog,” said Woodard.

The little girl and her dog were found wandering down the busy stretch of Duello Road. That’s when Woodard and neighbors started knocking on doors.

“She [little girl] just kept saying, ‘Mom.’ She wanted mommy, that was it,” said Woodard. “We’re all trying to wrack our brains on how to get this little girl home.”

With no luck from the neighbors’ efforts, an officer looked to the dog and got an idea. With the help of animal control, they scanned the dog’s microchip, which led them to the child’s house in the Bluffs of Heather Glen.

Chief Kurt Frisz of the Wentzville Police said, “It was thinking out of the box for the officers.”

Frisz said his officers were able to get the toddler home safely.

Frisz said the little girl had been gone for about 30 minutes. He also said her parents were unaware the child was not still tucked away in her bed.

“The house was child proof. There was one sliding door that was not and I’ll tell you it doesn't take much for a child to slip away quickly,” said Frisz. “It’s an unfortunate incident that turned out okay.”